PM Narendra Modi launches projects worth Rs 33,000 crore

After inaugurating and laying the foundation for projects worth Rs33,000 crore through a remote at a function in Begusarai, the PM said, “Bihar and eastern India have the capability of coming on par or even moving ahead of western India, which is known for its financial activities."Piyush Tripathi | TNN | February 18, 2019, 16:44 IST

PATNA: Bihar and eastern India will soon act as a catalyst in accelerating the pace of development in the entire country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

After inaugurating and laying the foundation for projects worth Rs33,000 crore through a remote at a function in Begusarai, the PM said, “Bihar and eastern India have the capability of coming on par or even moving ahead of western India, which is known for its financial activities."

"The way NDA government is coming up with one project after the other for Bihar and the entire eastern India, the day is not far off when this region will become an important hub for fostering a new speed for development of the entire country.”

The projects for which the PM laid the foundation included expansion of production capacity of Barauni refinery from 6 million metric tonne to 9 million metric tonne per annum, setting up a ammonia-urea fertilizers complex at Barauni refinery, expansion of Paradip-Haldia-Durgapur LPG pipeline up to Patna and Muzaffarpur, sewerage projects at Karmalichak in Patna, Barh, Sultanganj and Naugachia worth Rs452.33 crore, Patna metro rail project, establishment of medical colleges at Chhapra and Purnia, upgradation of government medical colleges at Bhagalpur and Gaya, 22 Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) projects at various locations in the state, among others.

The projects which the PM inaugurated included the 415km-long Jagdishpur-Haldia-Dhamra pipeline, City Gas Distribution (for CNG to vehicles and PNG supply to 1.74 lakh households in Patna), phase-1 of Patna riverfront development project, Ranchi-Patna weekly AC train and electrification of Biharsharif-Daniyawan, Fatuha-Islampur, Barauni-Katihar-Kumedpur and Sugauli-Bettiah-Raxaul rail sections.

Modi said people would get PNG supply through the city gas distribution system in Patna. He said the government is also working for establishing another All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the state.

Deliberating on the projects launched, Modi said: “I had laid the foundation for Jagdishpur-Haldia project under the first phase of Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana at Patna in July 2015. It has been inaugurated today. It will help in supplying gas to the revived Barauni fertilizers plant, piped natural gas (PNG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) in Patna.”

The PM said the revival of Barauni refinery is a tribute to Bihar’s first CM Shri Krishna Singh. “The expansion of Barauni refinery and production of aviation fuel from here will benefit Nepal as well,” he said.

The plan includes the 9 million metric tonne atmospheric vacuum unit (AVU), the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) hydrotreating unit and the ammonia-urea fertilizers complex at Barauni.

Speaking about Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, Modi said Rs7.50 lakh crores would be directly transferred into the bank accounts of farmers across the country over the next 10 years. He said 5 crore people have already been registered in Bihar under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana for free health insurance cover.

The PM also iterated that the provision of 10% quota for economically weaker sections in general category has been introduced while maintaining reservation for other classes.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Nitish Kumar said the Centre and the state government would contribute 20% each in the estimated outlay of Rs13,365.77 crore for Patna metro rail project. The remaining 60% of the funds for the project would be generated through external loans.

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